Adelaide Carlow
Adelaide is the founder and director of Priory Farm Music Camp. Having studied music and psychology, and ethnomusicology, Adelaide now teaches cello and violin privately and at various schools. Passionate about good quality community music and its social benefits, she founded and directs Milnathort Youth String Orchestra and Cantie Choir. Adelaide enjoys arranging music for string groups, and for choirs, and she finds amazing human connection and inspiration through the natural voice and unaccompanied choral harmony. Her biggest passion is PFMC , and she loves sharing this annual summery world of music and happiness with her three children every year.
Sally Anne Anderson
Co-founder and music director Sally Anne Anderson plays violin with the Royal Liverpool Phil, and is Lead Musician for the Sistema-inspired music education program, In Harmony Liverpool. Specialising in group string teaching, Sally currently teaches over 350 children a week! She has created many resources to support her style of teaching including two series of books, ‘Tune Up!’ and ‘Sticks & Blobs’. Sally coaches at the NCO having been a member as a child. As faculty member of The Till Project, Sally is enthusiastically developing ways for teaching healthy string playing. PFMC is an annual highlight for her and her children, and Sally especially enjoys conducting the camp orchestra using techniques that allow children to feel the music from the inside out.
Holly Jager
Holly is a primary school teacher and is passionate about allowing children to be their authentic selves. Holly has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to working with children who have additional needs.
Since summer 2025, Holly has gone global, with an exciting new role teaching in an international school in Thailand. Thankfully, her holidays mean she can still maintain her integral role as part of PFMC’s administrative team, and as head of the pastoral team for both weeks.
Grace Dale
Grace Dale is a pianist, clarinetist, guitarist, accompanist and choir leader, studying community music up to postgraduate level at Aberdeen and Glasgow.
Grace set up and facilitated regular choir sessions for the homeless across Scotland, and has delivered music and songwriting workshops for people with additional needs and people in prisons. Grace teaches piano in Glasgow and plays in ceilidh bands around Scotland.
She excels at creating team spirit, whether she is running our amazing annual ceilidh, or, in chamber groups, enabling our youngest musicians to shine.
Music Team
Meghan Perry PFMC
Co-founder, chamber and cello coach
Meghan is a cellist playing in chamber groups and orchestras across Edinburgh.
Meghan is also an Infectious Diseases Consultant with the NHS. In a crossover between her two passions, Meghan devised a historical musical called The Mould that Changed the World (one of whose songs was a hit at a previous PFMC!) This important show has gone on to have major success both in the UK and the US.
Meghan is also a hill climber, and a keen wild swimmer and camper. Her two boys will be attending PFMC this year.
Ceri Pearmain PFMC & PFMC+
Co-founder, chamber and violin coach, and support team leader PFMC
Ceri Pearmain is a violinist and pianist, teaching peripatetically and privately along the Welsh-English border. She leads her local orchestra, and has coached chamber music and choir at PFMC since its beginnings.
She is a keen gardener, expert wild camper, and pretty competitive frisbee player!
Ceri is a secondary school history teacher as well!
Olly Blackman PFMC & PFMC+
Percussion coach, Jazz Band Leader, PFMC & PFMC+
Olly Blackman is a drummer/composer/arranger who studied at Guildhall and has been working as a freelance musician, MD and educator since.
Olly performs, arranges and writes for Hackney Colliery Band, a nine-piece brass and percussion band who have released several critically acclaimed albums.
He has toured extensively with HCB throughout the UK and Europe.
When not performing, Olly directs the Wandsworth Jazz Orchestra, a big band featuring the talents of young jazz musicians attending the Wandsworth Music Academy. Olly’s percussion workshops at PFMC are legendary!
Anton Clarke-Butler PFMC+
Clarinet and chamber music coach
Anton is a graduate from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire who performs and tours with a number of UK professional ensembles such as BBC National Orchestra of Wales, English Touring Opera, Ulster Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and regularly at the Proms with Chineke! Orchestra. He has also performed chamber works with the London Symphony Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Anton has performed in many contemporary music projects, for the BBC Radio 3 New Music Show and the Beijing Modern Music Festival.
Anton is a keen educator and he has held posts with the Junior Royal College of Music, Nucleo, Warwick school. the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain, Sistema, Orchestras for All and the Royal Academy of Music outreach programme.
Ben Cashell PFMC+
Cello and chamber music coach
Ben Cashell studied cello at the Yehudi Menuhin School and later at the Royal Northern College of Music. He is an extremely versatile musician, equally at home playing classical, pop and folk.
Ben has played at many prestigious venues including Wigmore Hall, Glastonbury and Celtic Connections. He specialises in chamber music, having founded the RNCM Cello Ensemble, the Herbert Cello Quartet and the Cashell Piano Trio.
Ben is passionate about the education of young musicians - over the last seven years, he has taught dozens of young cellists through the In Harmony programs with Opera North and In the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He also teaches at Stockport Grammar School and Yorkshire Young Musicians.
Sophie Till PFMC+
Violin, chamber music coach, Till clinics and masterclasses.
Violinist Sophie Till’s teaching has become internationally known for solving playing-related injuries among professional orchestral musicians. She has delivered numerous workshops, lecture series’ and symposiums for professionals, teachers and students in the U.S, U.K, Singapore and Australia and was a keynote speaker for the Australian String Teachers Conference.
Sophie makes annual visits to the U.K working with members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the BBC Orchestras. Working in tandem with children and young people aged 4-18 at home and with professional players internationally has resulted in a new children’s pedagogy now being used in schools and string programs internationally.
Abigail Hammett PFMC+
Viola, chamber music coach
Abi is a Violist from South Wales who freelances with chamber groups and orchestras in the UK and Ireland.
Abi is currently Junior Fellow in Viola at the Royal Northern College of Music and is a founding member of the Treske Quartet. Through playing with the quartet she's performed at Wigmore Hall, Conway Hall and the Banff Centre of Music in Canada and has had residencies at RNCM and the Royal Irish Conservatoire in Dublin.
Abi loves spending as much time as possible in nature and is so excited to joining the PFMC staff this summer.
Ian Sankey PFMC+
Brass and chamber music coach
Ian Sankey is a musician and trombone player based in the North East of England.
He has performed with numerous award-winning ensembles and orchestras, including Royal Northern Sinfonia, Cologne Chamber Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra and Northumberland Radical Fun Group. Ian also toured Britain and Ireland with Surge Scotland’s street theatre show ‘Beautiful Bones’. Ian has collaborated with composer Joe Snape - working on a large format piece for trombone and electronics as part of the Glasshouse International Centre for Music’s Foundry Residency.
Rosamund Hawkins PFMC
Viola, chamber music coach
Rosamund is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and has worked with the In Harmony Liverpool programme,. She teaches violin and viola to pupils of all ages, taking a music-driven approach with inspiration from the Kodaly, Dalcroze and Sophie Till methods.
Rosamund lives in Manchester and leads a busy freelance orchestral and chamber music career, and is excited to be joining the PFMC staff team once again!
Michelle Stanley PFMC, PFMC+
Support team, Flute, Double Bass
Michelle has a music degree from Oxford Uni, and is now training as a secondary music teacher at Cambridge. . As a double bassist and flautist, she regularly performs with a range of ensembles. Michelle loves camping and wild swimming and has lots of experience working with young people. She is much loved team member at PFMC, where she combines her passions for music education and love of the outdoors.
Lia Gourlay Gerrard PFMC, PFMC+
Support team. Guitar
Lia is a proficient guitarist, guitar teacher and singer/songwriter. Lia has played and been involved with music for a long time and used to attend PFMC when she was younger! Lia is studying Theatre at the University of Glasgow and over several years has become a trusted and valued member of the PFMC support team.
Ben Price PFMC+
Support Team co-lead, well-being
Ben is a medical doctor, working in central Scotland. He loves being active and outside, cycling, running, exploring the wild, and listening to music, dabbling on voice and trumpet, as well as being a keen ultimate frisbee player for many years!
This will be Ben’s first time on the PFMC team, having had daughters attending for many summers and invariably describing it as "the best week of the entire year".
Jimmy Thomson PFMC, PFMC+
Support team, upper strings
Jimmy is a singer and violinist, who attended both PFMC and PFMC+. After leaving sixth form, Jimmy took a gap year in Portsmouth where he was a choral scholar at the Cathedral and was a gap year assistant in a junior school. In September, Jimmy is off to study Music at York Uni.
Freddie Cobb PFMC
Support Team, brass
Freddie is heading to Edinburgh Napier University studying music in September. He enjoys jazz and classical music and plays in various ensembles and has been studying jazz trombone at juniors at the Scottish Conservatoire. Freddie is going to be supporting the brass players and helping on the campsite too.
Esmee Loughlin Dickenson PFMC+
Support team
Esmée is a singer currently studying for her Masters at the Royal College of Music. She started as a violinist aged 7, but has now decided to go all the way with opera! She is very excited to join the team at PFMC+. When Esmée’s not singing she is busy trying to write a book and doing yoga!
Amy Heptinstall PFMC+
Support team, flute
Amy is a language teacher with previous training on the Vocal & Opera BMus course at the Royal College of Music, where she studied for four years as a music scholar. Amy also plays flute and has recently worked as a music teacher and an English language teaching assistant with primary school children in France. Amy is excited to bring her musical knowledge and experience to Priory Farm and encourage playfulness, creativity, and fun!
Charlie Shaw PFMC
Support team
Charlie is a violinist and violist who used to attend PFMC and PFMC+. Charlie is in his final year of secondary school and is intending to study computer science at university.
Aaron Moorehouse PFMC
SEND support
Aaron is a Yorkshire-based composer, writer, and researcher currently exploring the links between Music Therapy, Socially Engaged Art Practices, and Post-Sonic Musics.
Aaron teaches music to children and young adults with special educational needs through his work with various schools, colleges, music charities, disabled children's services, and across his activities as a private music tutor.
Aaron is also employed as a guest lecturer for Bath Spa University, and his research has been published by a number of leading academic journals.
Zoe Neave PFMC
Support Team, percussion
Zoë started playing drum kit aged 10 and once she moved into high school she also picked up tuned percussion. Playing in various ensembles, in combination with pit orchestra opportunities in musical theatre, allowed her to broaden her percussive skills. Zoë is in her final year of high school and will be studying maths and computing at Edinburgh Uni in the autumn.
Lucas Emmott PFMC
French Horn, Support team
Lucas is a horn player who until recently attended PFMC and PFMC+ and we are delighted he is returning - this time on the support team.
Lola Edgar PFMC
Support team
Lola loves to sing all the time and play guitar! She also loves all things camping and is so excited to see everyone at PFMC this year for another load of music, nature and fun. Lola is studying English & Philosophy at Glasgow University.
Mike Bartley PFMC
Chef
Mike is a private chef and Chef Patron of upcoming restaurant Jörd, based in County Durham. Mike pursued his passion for cooking following an appearance on BBC Masterchef in 2021. He has since worked in Michelin Starred restaurants including Roots and Hjem, and currently provides a meal prep service to elite professional athletes alongside his private chef business. Mike has degrees in Music Production and Law, and also enjoys foraging and long walks with his dog, Zuri.
Clarey and Barney Wrightson
Owners of the Walled Garden offering forest school, expeditions, logistics and support
With careers in costume, floristry, gardening, film, woodland management and teaching, Clarey and Barney are driven by a desire to put fun and creativity back into learning. Passionate about the great outdoors they are love to share the beautiful space they call home with others by developing workshops, courses and forest school sessions for all ages.
www.we-are-wild.co.uk.
Laura Robarts
Patron
Laura and Michael, Adelaide’s parents, live at the original Priory Farm and kindly hosted PFMC for 15 years, as well as our first ever PFMC+ in 2022. Laura generously created the Priory Farm Bursary Fund. To find out more about this, click on bursaries.
Michael Robarts
Patron
Laura and Mikie remain in close contact with PFMC as co-founders and collaborators since the beginning, providing strong foundations and constant mentoring and support for us to build on year after year.